[PP-F6] Save the Trees <<Deforestation>>

[Birdie 0]

As she browsed through her expansive log of quests to be taken, her shoulders slumped a little. There was such a stark quantity of experience points ripe for the taking and she'd forgone such an easy source of early levelling... rather than dwell on her failure, she selected one of the easier quests at random; <<Deforestation>> was the one that grappled her finger.

Upon arrival to the sixth floor of Aincrad, she drew in a lungful of the wonderful forest aroma in which <<Krycim>> was known for. The NPCs of the Amazonian settlement greeted her with such politeness, though she was in no mood to return the gesture. The relevant NPC was near the southern edge of town, and as she cruised through the streets in search of <<Deforestation>>'s quest giver, her eyes would finally land on a bulky Amazonian woman after turning the final corner. <<Amazonian Chief>>, as the nameplate read, had a distinct [!] above its head, signalling she'd found the correct NPC. She exhaled in delight and shifted her body forwards, though a totally-existent rock stole her footing from beneath and sent her plummeting into a nearby player.

"Ouuh... O-oh my God, I am so, so sorry!"

@Atzo

Edited July 16, 2017 by Birdie

[Atzo 0]

Atzo had been exploring the sixth floor. It wasn’t abnormal for him to wonder, in fact he was on his way to the Waterfall of the Sage again, try to figure out what it was that cause the weird state of mind he had been in. He was observing everyone around him watching them silently as he walked, his Cloak of the Changing Tide’s gem-like, emerald green surface rippling as he moved. He was watching a blue haired lady who reminded him of Eatos as she approached an NPC he shrugged as he passed by behind her. “I never realized that blue hair was so common” He thought to himself. Suddenly she started to fall, Atzo quickly adjusted his stance to catch her. He put his arms across his body like he would when he was doing trust falls with his brother and lightly letting himself fall onto his back leg to slow her descent. He then lightly pushed her back up to an upright position. “Its no problem, you would be surprised how many people have bumped into or fallen on me.” Atzo’s face was blank of emotion, he didn’t have the energy to put into it today. His voice seemed emotionless and cold.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

With much assistance from the red-haired player, she stood back on her own two feet and cleared her throat lightly, managing to avoid too much embarrassment. Immediately, her eyes began to explore his equipment: Two-handed straight sword, light armour. From appearances alone, she had to assume he was building for DPS, though the relevance of such thought was quickly lost on her. At first, she didn't quite know how to rightly respond, though only a second passed before words flowed out with ease. "I see, I'm sorry for adding to that number. I-I must have tripped and fallen on a pebble or a loose vine, or something..."

A thought occurred to her. "I-if it's not impolite of me to ask, have you taken the <<Deforestation>> quest yet?" If he had prior knowledge of the quest, it was entirely likely he could speed up the process, and even if that weren't the case, two heads made for a stronger, safer party. His green cursor was enough to dispel thoughts of a possible PK threat.

@Atzo

[Atzo 0]

The girl apologise again for the fall, Atzo shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I have learned how to keep myself and another from falling on the ground as you could probably tell.” He then turned to leave when she asked him about whether or not he had taken a quest. “No, I can’t say I have. Though if you are looking for an extra blade then I would be happy to oblige. I am Atzo, The Forgotten King and leader of the Emerald Harbingers. It is a pleasure to met you.” He holds out his hand, still showing no emotion in his voice or face. It wasn’t robotic but instead stonelike. He looked the player up and down, she seemed to have a similar build to him which would lead to some very swift takedowns if they did it right. It would definitely be interesting to watch how she handled herself in battle. Misguidance, the mirrored blade, hung loosely at his hip. He didn’t have a real sheath for it just a series of snaps that he put on the hilt so that he could have the mirror still shown when it was put away.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

At first, she was quite taken aback by his introduction. Players seldom introduced themselves with a title, and the Emerald Harbingers were certainly news to her. She knew there was little reason to dwell on it. "Ah, wonderful! My name is Birdie, the... Solo Player, I suppose." As the words left her mouth, she squinted at how peculiar the phrase 'Solo Player' truly was- it suggested a great level of confidence and trust in one's own ability, two qualities she did not possess. Adding to the uncomfortable feelings, that was the first time she'd introduced herself as anything other than a 'Celestial Ascendant'. That'll take some getting used to...

Blazing through the menus, she'd invited @Atzo to a party with ample timing and swiftly accepted the <<Amazonian Chief>>'s call for help, committing the worst treason in any RPG - skipping an NPC's quest dialogue. <<Deforestation>> appeared in the party's active quest log and she nodded with gusto, returning to Atzo immediately. "It seems we're ready to go. The quest details are vague but from what I can tell, the monster we're supposed to fight... ah, <<Byakko>>, has a randomised spawn inside the forest. We'll have to go looking for it."

[Atzo 0]

Atzo nodded, he was surprised by the mention of Solo Player though he didn’t show it “It is rare to see a solo player as of late. If you ever feel like settling down into a guild, we are always looking for new members.” Atzo hit accept as the invite to the party popped up in front of him. He sent a message to his guild, telling them that he would be busy today and warning them to stay out of trouble. He did this while Birdie was accepting the quest. On mention of being ready to go, Atzo nodded and quickly changed his equipment. He switched his leather coat for the Amulet of the Damned. “Very well, I will follow your lead. Also allow me to apologize for my un-emotional appearance. I haven’t the energy to show emotion as it stands, I had a very interesting day yesterday on floor four with my Archbishop that wiped my emotional energy.”

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

@Atzo's offer was met with a kind smile from Birdie, despite the ever-present pain of leaving her previous guild. She knew how strange it was to see a Solo Player this deep into the game's progression, and the bluenette held no doubt that she'd join one eventually, but it wasn't something she could undertake at the time. "I'll certainly think on it. As of right now, I'm not looking so deeply into guild affairs... past experiences and such."

The warning was met with a slight shift in expression, though it would swiftly return to normal. "No need to apologise," she waved a hand, dispelling the notion. " Um, consider me curious... Archbishop? Emotional energy? Would you mind elaborating on the story behind that?" It certainly wasn't her business to ask, she was more interested in making conversation to bide their time til the <<Byakko>> showed up. She began toward the town's gate, swapping out both <<Winterthorn>> and <<Precision Stone>> for her search-enhancing gear.

[Atzo 0]

“That is understandable, I have no qualm with people looking to do their own thing.” Atzo said. It was normal for people to not want to join a guild, and with how this game was, he was curious about what brought her to that decision but felt it was probably not something he should ask about. Then she asked him about what had happened the other day. “My guild is very structured, mirroring a kingdom from the dark ages. King being the leader, Crown-Prince being second in command, Archbishop is the title given the head of my advisors, who we refer to as bishops, and has the same power of the Crown-Prince. Under Crown-Prince are the Dukes, then Earls, then Knights, then Barons. Emotional energy is the best way to describe the ability to show emotion and deal with them, both of which I have quite the trouble dealing with on a regular basis. My father made a point to keep me from feeling emotion, essentially chaining up my emotions and locking them in a prison. It takes a lot of energy for me to attempt to use the emotions if I am not replicating them based on the emotions of others like I normally do. I was on the edge of having antisocial personality disorder before this game started”

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

#86742 - LD: 7+7

"I-I see..." That was a lot of information for her to take in. From what she could tell, his guild appeared to take on proper medieval roles; King as the leader, Knights as a lesser rank, etc. The emotional energy he referred to took on a literal meaning, however, and she listened intently as @Atzo explained his issues when expressing and experiencing emotion. "I'm terribly sorry to hear about your Father, that must have been incredibly hard to come to terms with... Are you at least doing better nowadays?" Despite having met him only minutes prior, her eyes displayed genuine concern as she looked to him. Most mental dispositions were beyond the NerveGear's capability of weeding out, though it seemed he'd found some level of stability within Aincrad. At least this game has given some of us an escape from life... maybe his wasn't so great before... maybe he's like me. 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Birdie

[Atzo 0]

They continued through the forest, Atzo could tell he was overwhelming her a little bit. “Don’t be sorry about my father, my brother finally took care of that a few years ago.” then she asked a question that was praised as a statement “Oh, I am not doing better. I am just trying to get better. It takes a long time for this stuff to actually get better, and with how these things go every step forward brings two steps back. At least here I feel like I can actually try to get better without worrying about punishment.” He tried to reign back his explanation a little bit. “She may look like Eatos but she isn’t” he though to himself, reminding him about who he can and can't trust “I have to keep from unveiling all of myself as I did yesterday. I don't know this woman well enough to do so and I fear that I will scare her away if I do”

@Birdie

ID# 86743

Spoiler

LD: 1+3=4 (No mat)

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Atzo

[Birdie 0]

#86745 - LD: 20+7 - Four <<[T1] Plant Bough>>'s found

"O... oh." Alarm bells rang in her mind. His Brother 'took care' of his Father? I hope to God he means out of love... It deepened the slant of her frown to hear his condition hadn't been improving, but a spark of hope still remained upon learning of his dedication to better himself. Birdie was also striving for improvement, namely to boost her crippling lack of self-confidence, so she could somewhat sympathise with @Atzo's hardships. "Mhm, this world is a little weird like that. Back in the real world, society's always trying to beat everybody down, but in here... none of that exists. There's such a sense of comradery between players- most players, anyway- with trying to get the heck out of here. It's sort of beautiful when you think about it." A simple smile grazed her lips, and she looked to the path ahead.

A flash of white appeared before her eyes, ten feet from the path. She briefly apologised to the man before rushing to retrieve the materials and inspected them immediately. Plant Bough..? Interesting. She returned to the path within seconds, electing to keep quiet about her findings unless he should ask.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Birdie

[Atzo 0]

Atzo watched as her frown deepened from the corner of his eye. It concerned him about what she would be thinking. Then he listened to the tenor of her voice as she spoke of the society within this game. “They way you say that makes me feel as if you know just how bad it can really be.” he thought for a moment as she went and picked something up in the leaves. “If you will allow me to ask I have two questions for you.” Atzo was trying to be polite with his words, he knew that the emotionless tone could give of an impression of him not caring about the conversation or the task which was certainly not the case. “I wonder how poorly I come across,” he muttered to himself quietly, not realizing that he was speaking outloud. “I would assume I come across as distant though that isn’t abnormal for me. Wonder if that is why Raina left me… oh well, this is not the time to focus on such things”

@Birdie

ID# 86746

Spoiler

ID: 5+3=8 (No Mats)

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Atzo

[Birdie 0]

ID# 86747 - LD: 1+7

A soft sigh escaped her lips. "Y-yeah, you could say that." Memories of the months leading up to the present flashed through her mind; Abandoning the Celestial Ascendants, caring for an elderly woman whose body was too weak for Aincrad, and whose untimely death brought about immense emotional turmoil. Her feelings had been tried and tested and thrown around, yet the will to survive and see the light of day pushed her to keep on moving. She angled her head ever-so-slightly as @Atzo proposed two questions.

Her mouth opened to answer, though the sound of Atzo's quiet voice caused the words to catch in her throat. It was just out of earshot, no doubt thanks to one of the game's audio systems causing whispers to be near inaudible without the relevant skill. Despite growing the smallest bit concerned for what he may ask, she nodded and masked any suspicion with a smile. "Sure, what's on your mind?" 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Birdie

[Atzo 0]

Atzo took a second to design the wording. “Alright, first off if you don't feel comfortable answering a question I will not be offended if you choose to not answer. That said one, why are you so interested in my state of mind? Most people tend to back away when I explain to them what my problems hold. You don't even know me and here you are still listening to me, having asked questions that brought about…. Potentially unpleasant answers. The second question being, what are your aspirations and dreams? What drives you to do what you do and pushes you to succeed? I understand it is an odd question but I tend to go by the same logic as H.P. Lovecraft did when he said I never ask a man what his business is, for it never interests me. What I ask him about are his thoughts and dreams. I am always curious as to what drives people, it creates better stories and poems that way as well.” He kept walking forward, only watching her from the corner of his eye.

@Birdie

ID# 86748

Spoiler

LD: 6+3=9 (No Mat)

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Atzo

[Birdie 0]

ID#86750 - LD: 12+7 - Four <<[T1] Plant Bough>>'s found (8 total)

Put simply, she had not expected such loaded questions; The first answer came to her instantly. "Well, what's not to care about? We're all in this together, all going through similar struggles and trying to cope in our own special ways. I wouldn't rest easy knowing I'd encountered somebody and not tried my best to comfort them or at least allowed them to vent their problems. A friend reminded me of the importance of such a thing just recently." She formed a smile.

"A-as for your second question, I... I don't have a great answer for you. There is only such a finite amount of aspirations one can have in this world... for now, I want to escape. Beyond that, I don't have any plans in mind. Maybe I'll travel the world, try and find my place in society..." She trailed off, having realised the latter half of his question was left unanswered. A spec of white struck the very corner of her eye. As casually as she could manage, Birdie spoke once again and moved to retrieve the materials, hastily returning once they were in her grasp. "I see, Lovecraft had a special way with words... When I think about all those people in <<Town of Beginnings>>, silently begging to be released from this prison every single day... that's what drives me. Everything else after that, my experiences, that's what continues to push me. I-I hope that answers your question..."

A moment of silence befell Birdie. Thoughts weighed heavily on her mind, and her voice was more deprived upon speaking again. "If it's not too much trouble, do you mind answering your own questions?"

@Atzo

Edited July 16, 2017 by Birdie

[Atzo 0]

Atzo shook his head slightly when she mentioned getting out of the game. “It seems to be a common goal to leave this game. I can’t personally understand why someone would want to re-enter the heartless world we left. At least here you can grab hold of your life and direct it to where you want it to go, instead of others taking you down their own path instead.” He took a second to think after she has asked him to answer his own questions. “I have no problem doing so but I will say that you may not enjoy the answers I give. As for the first, I will answer for the two different ways I think you may mean by that. Why I am interested in your state of mind? Because I like to take in as much information on others as I can so I can better understand how to talk to them and where they are coming from. Why am I so open with you with my state of mind? Because you have a striking resemblance to both my Archbishop Eatos and my companion... Solomon.” there was a hint of regret in his voice when he said the name Solomon but it faded away quickly. “As far as my goals, I wish to lead the strongest guild in SAO, help low level players rise to the frontlines as fast as possible, figure out how to integrate my skills from my past into this game, and begin to understand feelings other than hate and logic. Though I feel no need to leave this game, I fear who I come back to, whether or not my brother is still alive and that I will no longer be able to fit into my old…. Job. if my emotions change as I want them to.”

@Birdie

ID# 86753

Spoiler

LD: 7+3=10 (No mat)

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Atzo

[Birdie 0]

They harboured complete opposite ideologies to one another, despite the apparent similarities of their past lives. His words held true; In Aincrad, there was an excessive amount of free will, no laws (outside of SAO's governing systems) nor society to conform with. However, their lives were still in the hands of a single man- a dictatorship with no possible turn over, and she couldn't share his views because of that.

Rather than dwell on that, however, she listened intently as he spoke, and loaded answers appeared to be somewhat of a theme. Birdie had steeled herself emotionally prior, though little could have prepared the bluenette for what came from @Atzo's mouth. The former answer to his first question was rather ordinary, yet the latter only made her grown more curious. Eatos, Solomon... those aren't front runners, and they're don't sound familiar... Having caught the sadness in his voice, she broached the idea of asking him about Soloman but immediately decided against it. The conversation had plummetted so far already, there was no sense dragging the atmosphere down further. There was an entirely different side to this man than she'd previously known, however. His true aspirations and dreams were reminiscent of one who strove for greatness, and for that, she would applaud him. "I see. While I can't say for certain things will get better on the other side, you'll have had so much opportunity to change and grow as a person... I'm sure things will be better."

Just then, an unearthly howl pierced the forest trees, emanating from several hundred feet within. She immediately turned to the source, equipping <<Winterthorn>> and <<Precision Stone>> once more. "We're getting close... Are you ready for combat?"

Edited July 16, 2017 by Birdie

[Atzo 0]

Atzo knew that he had said a lot there, but at this point why not wear your heart on your sleeve? “Doubt that things will get better, though I guess there is always the possibility.” He sighed. “Why do I do this to myself?” He thought “I knew I was going to have a challenge today and yet I still have these problems at hand, I wonder if I will ever learn from my past or if I am just doomed to walk in circles my whole life?” Atzo heard the howl through the tree’s, he switched back to his leather coat from his Amulet of the Damned. “Yeah, I am as ready as I will ever be I suppose.” He thought for a moment before saying “I don’t think we ever came up with a plan… we probably should have done that by now but if you have any ideas then let me know”

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

As @Atzo confirmed he was ready to go, she took in a lungful of the forest air and strayed from the path, moving deeper into the woods. The faintest hint of ash rested on her tongue - <<Byakko>> was closer than previously thought. The wonderful spectrum of green and brown experienced a gradual shift, tree trunks becoming charred and black whilst the ground turned devoid of grass. Behind the cover of trees, an aura of orange and red illuminated the distance, and as Birdie broke into a light run and emerged into a clearing, her eyes grew wide. The infernal beast stood on the opposite side with flames leaking from its jaw, snapping at the air in front of it.

Birdie swung her rapier from its sheathe and stepped forwards, "Careful of its fire!" She held her weapon with both hands, holding it low and back to initiate the second strongest Sword Art of the rapier weapon class, Flashing Penetration. In an instant she was transported across the battlefield, rapidly littering the beast with holes as her rapier penetrated its skin. With a final slash, she managed to dash away before the beast could return fire, successfully pulling the beast's aggro.

-----

ID: 86761 - BD: 3+3=6 - MD: 7-3=4

[H:1] Birdie - HP: 640/640 - EN: 54/64

• Sword Art Used: Flashing Penetration [Damage = 11*11=121]

[H:0] Atzo - HP: ???/??? - EN: ??/??

Byakko - HP: 69/150 - DMG: 60 - MIT: 40

Edited July 16, 2017 by Birdie

[Atzo 0]

Atzo rushed in head first, ready to attempt to finish this battle as quick as he could. He didn’t acknowledge the vast heat, thanks to survival he was much better at handling it. He activated <<Charge>> and <<Fight Blade>> as he rushed it. It swiftly fell to the ground as he finished his attack. He saw that his bleed has activated as well. “That could be concerning” he thought to himself “I probably have more aggro than Birdie, though with it being stunned that could change in the next round. It may even make it easier for her to finish it off.” There was a clear smokish smog that was in the general vicinity of the creature, Atzo hadn’t noticed it before but he hopped that it wouldn’t get in their way as the duo attempted to slay the beast. “I must say, this is a very enjoyable part of the game.” He said attempting to make small talk while the fought “I know the stakes aren’t this high with other games but do you know if there are any with the awe inspiring abilities that this one has?”

ID# 86763

Spoiler

BD: 10 (Crit hit +2) [DMG=(6+1+2)*6=54-40=14 +stun +T1 Bleed]

Stats

Spoiler

[H:1] @Birdie - HP: 640/640 - EN: 54/64
[H:2] Atzo: 420/420 Hp | 42/42 En | 6 dmg | 3 Eva | 1 Lm | 1 Savvy | 2 Acc | 1 (t1) Bld | 10hp Bh 

Byakko - HP: 55/150 - DMG: 60 - MIT: 40 (Sunned 1 turn) (T1 bleed 2 Turns)

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Atzo